Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-04-30

sorbed nearly all the attention of the farm
ers- The trees of all varieties are doing
excellently, and not having any of the
scales to retard their development, make
hxuriant growth. We heard Of bnt one
drawback to their successful culture, and
that was their liability to be sunburned on
the trees, caused, we are informed, by the
hot winds from the adjacent plains. We
think, however, that is not the reason, but
il is caused by the radiated heat from the
soil underneath the trees ascending up
wards, and believe if they were trained to
branch low, like bush, thus shading the
ground underneath the tree, the cause would
be removed.
ORANGES.
There appears to be at the present time
a wild enthusiasm in favor of this fruit,
and the papers are constantly teeming
with the enormous returns from bearing
orchards, and lands which will pro-
duce this fruit are held at fabulous
sums in the southern counties. We be-
lieve if the statistics were shown of the
gross yields and net profits Of some of our
well-cultivated peach and Bartlett pear
orchards for the last ten years it would
throw into the shade any authenticated
profit that has ever been made from orange
orchards, and that, too, without waiting
such number of years for a return. Butte
county IS famed for having the best citrus
lands in the State, entirely exempt
from injurious frosts, as trees of
more than quarter Of century's
growth will show, and besides maturing
them from six weeks to two months earlier
than the southern counties can. This has
been proven by the shipments to markets
for years. Nearly every door-yard in
Gridley has its orange tree, and some as
high as dozen or more, all presenting 4
healthy appearance, free from all scales,
and of a vigorous growth. In fact, when
an orange tree is brought from the south
ern counties all covered with black scales
and set out here, in short time the scale
disappears, the climate, as we have else
where shown, being alike fatal to its ex-
istence and propagation. All the oranges
raised here are perfectly clean and ready
for the market when gathered without the
expense of polishing, which detracts so
much from their keeping qualities There
Is an orange orchard on Mr.. CampselPs
place, near Feather river, about four miles
distant, OF 625 trees, coming into bearing,
and next year double as many more will
be planted on the same place. Many
others will also engage in their cultivation,
the only deterring cause being the length
of time they will have to wait before get
ting full crops. The town of Gridley be-
ing very young had no orange trees of
large growth. To obviate this defect of
youthfulnesS they had two large orange
trees about % years old and 20 inches in
circumference transplanted here from
Marysville at a great expense of time,
trouble and money. The trees were in no.
wise injured by their removal, now show
ing thrifty new branches, and are expected
to produce large crop the coming season.
Last year one of them bore more than
5000 oranges of a good quality.
GRAPES AND VINEYARDS.
The future wealth and prosperity of
California we believe to be inseparably
bound up with viticulture 1t will be to
US what the vine has been to France. Our
markets will be the whole civilized world.
The experimental stage has long since
been passed, and the only questions to be
settled in the future are which districts
will produce the best wines and raisins.
Irrigated vines can never compete in quail
WIN NHVoS Nhlcii vi dlh llitli buDDlN Oh
moisture from the water III the soil. That
has been settled beyond all question. The
best raisins in the world are dried in the
sun on the ground, radiated heat no doubt
playing very important part in the pro-
cess. The atmosphere, too, should be dry
to gain the most perfect results. No por-
ton of the State possesses equal advantages
to the region surrounding Gridley. She
has the soil and climate, and only needs
the hands of experienced men to properly
direct them. A beginning has already
been made, not farm but can boast OF a
few acres, and some as high as twenty.
And everywhere they are doing splen-
didly and are receiving care and attention.
A few successes in viticulture will change
the whole system of agriculture and land
holdings in this vicinity. The big grain
ranches will have to go, and instead of
population of three or four to the square
mile there will be hundreds Every evil
dence of the impending change is appar-
ent The land that will produce wine and
raisin grapes as this land will is too valua-
bic to be seeded tn grain. In less than five
years from now we do not expect to see a
single acre in grain in the liye-oak lands.
Grain growing will be RELOCATED to the
adobe lands, for which they are so pecu-
liarly adapted.